Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Effects Of Caffeine On Oxidative Stress - 1460 Words

In the present study, the MDA level was measured as an index of lipid peroxidation in order to observe the effect of caffeine on the oxidative stress induced by AlCl3 in cortex, hippocampus and striatum brain areas. Brain tissues are more vulnerable to oxidative stress other than tissues for many reasons such as high oxygen consumption (more than 20% of the total inspired oxygen), the presence of abundant amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids which are susceptible to free radicals attack, low antioxidant levels, high iron content in addition to the non-regenerative nature of neurons (Nehru and Anand, 2005; Kim et al., 2015). All these reasons may explain why brain is more susceptible to aluminum toxicity than other organs. In the present†¦show more content†¦The present results showed that daily protection with caffeine attenuated the increase in MDA levels in AlCl3-intoxicated rats. Supporting the present finding, previous studies have revealed the antioxidant potential of caffeine against lipid peroxidation in various animal models of neurologic diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (Prasanthi et al., 2010), epilepsy (Souza et al., 2013) and Parkinsons disease (Khadrawy et al., 2017). It has been demonstrated that caffeine has the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (Devasagayam et al., 1996) and modulated the brain antioxidant system through increasing the content of GSH and activities of antioxidant enzymes like glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase (Abreu et al., 2011). Generally, the antioxidant capacity of caffeine was similar to that of the established biological antioxidant GSH and significantly higher than ascorbic acid (Devasagayam et al., 1996). Accordingly, this may explain the ability of caffeine to attenuate lipid peroxidation induced by AlCl3 in the current study via direct scavenging of reactive oxygen species or by increasing GSH content and antioxidant enzymes activities. The present data revealed that daily oral administration of AlCl3 resulted in a significant increase in NO levels in the cortex, hippocampus and striatum. NO is the smallest signalling molecule withinShow MoreRelatedThe Depletion Of The Rat Model Of Monoamine1295 Words   |  6 PagesIn the present study, the rat model of depression induced by reserpine was used to evaluate whether caffeine could treat depression or exaggerate it. The present data revealed that the daily reserpine treatment for 30 days induced a significant decrease in the cortical and hippocampal serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine levels. In addition, a decrease in the motor activity was observed. This was indicated from the data of the open field test that exhibited a significant decrease in the numberRead MoreThe Effects Of Caffeine On Children s Performance On Attention And Working Memory1115 Words   |  5 Pagesattention and working memory (Jones, 2008). Neuropsychological studies on caffeine report increased arousal, alertness, increased energy and concentration (Smith, 2002; Ruxton, 2008; Brunye ´ et al., 2010) even at doses as low as 50 mg, which is comparable to the amount of caffeine in a cup of tea. It has been indicated that even in low doses caffeine improves performance on attention tasks (Brunye ´ et al., 2010a). However, caffeine intake has also been associated with anxiety, nervousness, irritabilityRead MoreAlzheime r s Disease ( Ad )1172 Words   |  5 Pagesdesigned their study to explore the effects of caffeine intake on the expression of these proteins in rats induced with AD. 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Methods: Seventy five healthy albino Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups; the first group received intraperitoneal injection of saline and served as control, 2nd group received a single subcutaneous injectionRead MoreCoffee Consumption : The Health Benefits1831 Words   |  8 Pagesbeverage [1]. I really did not have much background information prior on coffee, just that I need three cups a day to even function. This is because coffee is the richest source of caffeine for Americans, accounting for 71% of caffeine intake [2]. Eight ounces of coffee typically contains between 95 to 200 mg of caffeine [2]. Drinking so much coffee for about seven years of my life really got me thinking, what was I actually consuming? What are health the health benefits? Rubiaceae and Genera CoffeaRead MoreReverse Transcriptase Polmerase Chain, Reaction is an Essential Tool in Molecular Biology1553 Words   |  6 Pagesof the brain. Studies have even shown that caffeine, a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist, can have an impact on the regulation of the adenosine A1 receptor. Particularly, caffeine administration in rats decreased the number of adenosine A1 receptors in maternal and fetal rat brain tissue, which was related to an increase in mRNA levels (Porcià ºncula 598). Additionally, the positive effects of chronic coffee intake, such as the beneficial effects against memory decline in brain disordersRead MoreSocial And Social Support And Spirituality1590 Words   |  7 Pagesfor the majority of her family’s bills and her estranged spouse provides minimally for the family. Palta, Financial strain is associated with increased oxidative stress levels: The Women s Health and Aging Studies, p. 533) suggests that â€Å"High financi al strain may be associated with increased oxidative stress, suggesting that oxidative stress could mediate associations between financial strain and poor health.† It is apparent that M.L. is distressed by her financial strains and this could be negativelyRead MoreAntioxidants1223 Words   |  5 Pagesare antioxidants? A. Definition of Antioxidants B. Classification Antioxidants i. Micronutrients ii. Polyphenols III. What is coffee? A. Definition of coffee B. Antioxidants present in coffee IV. Effects of Antioxidants in coffee to the body. V. Summary and Discussion Antioxidants in coffee I. Introduction From this research paper, you would know how antioxidants can do to our body and where can we get most of it. EverydayRead MoreThe Effect Of Cocoa Powder, White Chocolate And Dark Chocolate On Oxidative Stress And Lipid Profile On Hypercholesterolemic Rats1953 Words   |  8 PagesThe Effect of Cocoa Powder, White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate on Oxidative Stress and Lipid Profile on Hypercholesterolemic Rats FadlAlla, Eman Aly Sadeek1, Saffa Moustapha Abd El Fatah Faid2 1Department of Biochemistry NutritionWomen s College , Ain Shams University, Egypt. 2 Home Economics Dept. Faculty of specific Education, Ain Shams University, Egypt. dr_emansaddeek@yahoo.com Abstract: Aim of the work: Assessing the effect of cocoa powder, white chocolate and dark chocolate on oxidativeRead MoreOsteoporosis Is An Age Related Disease Of The Skeletal System1493 Words   |  6 Pagesosteoporosis should increase their intake of calcium from the recommended daily amount. Phosphorus is also important in the diet, but should be taken in consideration with calcium intake, where higher phosphorus levels than calcium can have negative effects on bone health. However, when taken at sufficient levels, with calcium, phosphorus can increase bone density. A diet that lacks phosphorus can â€Å"limit osteoblast function and enhance osteoclastic resorption†.(AJCN) Vitamin D and calcium ha a correlation

Sunday, December 15, 2019

A Streetcar Named Desire Different Personalities Free Essays

In the classic film, A Streetcar Named Desire, there are four main characters with four very different personalities. While Stanley is the definite dominant male, controlling and demanding to his wife, Stella, who has learned to tolerate his personality; Mitch is the overall average good guy, desiring nothing short of a normal life with a loving wife. Blanche is the main character in the story and is the sister of Stella. We will write a custom essay sample on A Streetcar Named Desire: Different Personalities or any similar topic only for you Order Now The two of them have been apart over the years and recently came together again. With the past haunting her trail, Blanche tries to run far beyond it. Stanley doesn’t help matters any with his accusations against her.Being left in charge of the family estate, Blanche loses it all, but Stanley isn’t convinced of that. He is convinced that she has sold it and his attempt to find out where he and Stella’s half of the money from the estate went, only forces Blanche closer to the edge of insanity. Blanche’s response to Stanley’s dominant personality was appealing to her upon meeting Stanley and she found herself rather attracted to him, but these feelings soon changed for the both of them. Stanley and Blanche’s characters bring to surface the worse possible dynamics, creating a clashing relationship. Stanley’s character represents that of the strong, egotistical type, which molds the character of Stella into a nervous, agitated individual who must try to keep Stanley from causing her sister more grief. Stanley’s strength could be noted as his persistent personality while Stella’s emotional strength and level-headedness would be the power to hold the relationship together. The timing of Stella’s sister’s return only enhanced the heights of the arguments between Stanley and his wife. For Stanley, Blanche was a threat by increasing the insecurity he had of whether or not Stella really would return to him after each fight.The feeling of the unknown only made him more aggressive. Mitch’s character was displayed as sensitive and loyal, which was a strength in the short relationship he had with Blanche. With his mother’s dying wish to see him settled down, Mitch is attracted to the hidden, soft heart of Blanche. Blanche’s tender heart was a powerful dynamic of the relationship with Mitch, as he was able to reveal the desire of her to do well. His loyalty to doing what is right backfires when it pushes Blanche completely out after her horrible past is revealed to Mitch, thus revealing the terrible timing in life of the two meeting each other.The ambiguity of a future for these two left Mitch with absolutely no confidence that it would work, which explains his decision to end the relationship with Blanche before it escalated anymore. Timing of this story along with the fact that all the characters feared the unknown, truly impacted the tension in the setting. There was a high strung, outlandish feeling in the air with each personality of the play that caused the tight narrative tension. While the desires of each character may have been to succeed, the ambiguity caused them all to lose out on what might have been. How to cite A Streetcar Named Desire: Different Personalities, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Romeo And Juliet Why They Died Essay Example For Students

Romeo And Juliet Why They Died Essay Romeo Juliet EssayRomeo and Juliet is about two young lovers born of different rivaling families. The two lovers fall in love only too find that their families are enemies. Romeo wants to stop at nothing to have Juliet his love. The feud soon causes their deaths and many others hurt. In the beginning the feud is reignited by these simple lines: If you start a quarrel Im ready. My master is as good as your master. (I, i, 44) This brought Benvolio in to the fight. Benvolio tries to stop the fight but Tybalt the hot headed Capulet attacks him. Montague and Capulet charge at each other swords defining each other. The Prince arrives and orders them to stop. He threatens the Families with their lives. With this the Feud is rekindled. In Act II Benovlio, Mercutio, Romeo crash the Capulets party. Romeo spots Juilet for the first time and is awe struck by her beauty: That I never saw real beauty until tonight (II, V, 53) Tybalt over hears this and is enraged: That man has the voice of Montague. And he tries to attack Romeo but Capulet hold him back. Romeo and Juilet finally meet and fall in love. Later the Famous Scene between Romeo and Juliet happens. Being irrational they ran to get married. This will cause a lot of problems to come. Act III is the feud climax. Mercutio dies by the wound inflicted by Tybalt after they meet and fight over Romeo. Romeo tried to stop them but he couldnt and the sword of Tybalt went under his arm and sliced Mercutios breast. Tybalt ran away after the death of Mercutio. Romeo is sadden and realizes his love for Juliet has blinded him. Furious over his friends death he slays Tybalt when he returns. The Prince arrives after Benvolio told Romeo to run. Benvolio tells the Prince what happened and the Prince orders Romeos banishment: Romeo killed him but Tybalt killed Mercutio. Who to pa the price of Mercutios death. All are grieve stricken for now they relize how deadly there conflict has become. Act V is the end heart broken from her sons banishment Lady Montague dies. Capulet is forcing her to marry Paris Nobleman and relative of the Prince. Juliet not wanting to marry him goes to the friar Lawrence and asks for advice. The Friar gives poorly given advice and tells her to drink a potion that will feign her death for 42 hours. He was suppose to send a letter to Romeo but Romeo never received it. Meanwhile Romeos servant told him of her death. Enraged he goes and gets poison. Later Paris finds Romeo and attacks him Romeo Enraged and Saddened kills Paris. Romeo drinks the poison as Juliet wakes. Juliet takes her knife and kills her self with it. The Play is a classic the feud was torrent but never to strong to over come for only after the death of their beloved children did Montague and Capulet finally the feud ends. There killed many innocent people.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Representation of Women and Men in the film Gran Torino Essay Example

The Representation of Women and Men in the film Gran Torino Essay Before current expectations of gender equality, men and women have often had very different perceptions placed upon them due simply to their sex. Women were expected to be compliant, nurturing and passive and societal expectations included marriage and primary responsibility for child rearing. Men were typically expected to be strong, decisive and brave, with the ability to take care of and protect their family. People who did not conform to these stereotypes were often marginalized by society.Films often represent women and men in ways that challenge the traditional gender roles held by our society. One such film, Clint Eastwoods Gran Torino, challenges audiences views about the independence of women and the leadership roles and masculinity associated with men, young and old.In the film we are presented with four main characters; the older male Walt Kowalski who is a strong and dominant man; the young male Thao Vang Lor, a submissive, feeble man; the older woman Grandmother Phong, t he matriarchal leader of the Lor family; and Sue Lor, a free spirited young woman with the courage and will to stand against the aggressive gang culture around her.Eastwood constructs his female characters to embody ideas of social independence and leadership, which challenges traditional values about women in society. Sue Lor and Grandmother Phong, stand up for themselves against their male counterparts in the film when they try to assert their dominance. This can be seen in the scene where Walt confronts Grandmother Phong, attempting to emphasise his dominance by spitting, traditionally a habit associated with strong men. The expectation is for Phong to back down from the show of dominance, but instead she spits an even larger amount than Walt; a direct signal to the audience of Phongs sense of equality.Grandmother Phong is the head of the Lor family and the female equivalent of Walt, as Walt is the head of his family. She is often portrayed sitting in a rocking chair on the Lors veranda, watching the neighbourhood, and chewing beetle juice, a substance chewed by men in Myanmar to show dominance and leadership. These activities are similar to the activities that Walt is revealed to do, such as drinking beer on the porch and chewing beef jerky, and the similarities shown between the two characters directs the audience to not only equate Phong with Walts character, but with the masculinity he displays, and to see female leadership as natural and right.We can see that Eastwood means to portray the females of Gran Torino as intelligent, quick thinking girls who have the courage to stand up to men when Sue is confronted with Spiders gang for the first time.Spider: This is my little cousin, Sue.Smokie: Hey, Sue how old are you, girl?Sue: Mentally, Im way too old for you. Im going inside.Spider: Thats right, go inside while the men talk.Sue: Yeah, thats exactly what Im doing, Fong.Her snappy, sarcastic comments, even when Spider suggests she should listen to men an d leave, which would re-affirm the traditional representation of woman as submissive, illustrates how Sue is intelligent and independent; she doesnt follow the orders of her family and especially not the orders of older men in her household. This female independence shown goes against traditional representation of women as weak and submissive characters that should always follow the orders of men.Female dominance is also seen when Sue is on the streets and is surrounded and threatened by three men. Instead of submitting, Sue fights verbally back at the three attackers, insulting their masculinity and provoking their anger.Tall gang member: This Oriental yummy for me? Dont worry; Ill take good care of her.Sue: Great, another asshole with a fetish for Asian girls. God, it gets so old.Tall gang member: Whats your name, girl?Sue: My name? Its take your crude, overly obvious come-on to every woman who walks past and cram it. Thats my name.From these scenes we are shown a woman who believ es it is her right to be able to walk down the street without being assaulted. This portrayal of women as fighters who can hold themselves against men and are considered to be equal is prevalent in the film, and the idea of strong women challenges a traditional societal view that woman should be submissive to men and that men are the stronger sex who should be the protectors.However, Gran Torino also presents women as vulnerable and unable to protect those that they love when we are presented with Sues encounter with the African American gang, and then the sexual assault of Sue by the Hmong gang. In both scenarios, Sue is singled out, because of her attitude towards abusive men or her connections to Thao, and is assaulted, verbally and physically, by the gangs.The assault of such a strong woman as Sue, by a gang of males, shows to the audience the idea that woman are physically vulnerable and need to be protected, as they cannot do it themselves. The assault of Sue intends to show t he audience that no matter how emotionally strong a woman is, men can always use physical strength to dominate, therefore acknowledging the notion that women are weak and in need of protection. The idea of vulnerable women reinforces a traditional societys expectations of women in need of protection. The portrayal of Sues loss of strength and power is included in the film as the catalyst for her brother Thao to transform from a weak male character to a stronger one who can be seen as beneficial to society.Men, such as Walt Kowalski, are represented in the film as aggressive, judgmental, crude, forceful characters who dominate; they are the strong leaders who are needed to protect the society they live in. They are presented as essential to society as the women and those with women like qualities and too weak and cannot protect themselves. This is seen when Sue is being assaulted by both the African American and Hmong gang members. Walt, who holds racial prejudice towards Sue and her family, drives by and rescues Sue from the verbal assault from the African American gang, rescuing her from a dangerous situation that she could not have escaped from herself.Walt also warns the gang about the consequences of crossing a man such as himself;Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldnt have messed with? Thats me.Walt is also shown as a hero after the sexual assault of Sue and the drive by shooting on the Lors house; he defeated the Hmong gang by sacrificing himself and is killed so that Sue and Thao are protected from the Hmong gang in the future. The act of sacrificing himself to save others invites the audiences to see Walts character as brave, loyal and fiercely protective of Sue and Thao, and these characteristic reflect back upon the representation of men.The threatening warning and the self sacrifice, as well as many other of Walts actions, sets him up as the alpha male of the neighbour hood; the leader and the protector. The assertion of Walt as a leader and a guardian reinforces traditional societal views of males as dominant individuals and invites audiences to relate to Walt as his characterisation supports societys expectations of men.The scene after the birth ritual of the family, when Grandmother Phong is discussing how her daughter should remarry, addresses the idea of men who do not possess strength.Phong: Theres no man in this house, thats why my daughter should remarry. Being a second wife is better than having a woman be the head of the household.Man: What about Thao?Phong: What about him?Man: Hes the man in the house.Phong: Thaos not a man. Look at him in the kitchen, washing dishes like a woman. Even his sister gives him orders and he obeys.Phongs description of Thao doing jobs like a woman is meant as an insult to Thao, illustrating that it is weak and passive to be a sympathetic male character; this characterisation goes against societys traditional views of strong male characters. However, it also shows us that even though Grandmother Phong has assumed the leadership role in her family and her granddaughter Sue is following her lead, she still believes it would be beneficial to have a man as the head of her household; one more stereotypically male than her grandson who practices obedience and submissiveness to the women in his family. This re-affirms the idea that a strong male leader is needed for families to be successful, and it also reaffirms societal views of males.We can see that male characters in the film are represented as both strong, manly leaders of society, such as Walt, and weak, submissive individuals such as Thao, and therefore both reinforce and challenge traditional expectations of men by society.While we see the two older characters of Walt and Grandmother Phong ultimately maintaining their traditional gender roles, we see a caring and self sacrificing side to Walts nature, and a stoic side to grandmother Phong. We also see the two younger characters of Th ao and Sue display gender roles that encompasses both typically male and female characteristics.The film Gran Torino ultimately shows us four characters that, through a tragic series of events, display a range of gender identities that challenge and reinforce the traditional views of society.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

What are the characteristics of a Successful Latino in the United States †Sociology Essay

What are the characteristics of a Successful Latino in the United States – Sociology Essay Free Online Research Papers What are the characteristics of a Successful Latino in the United States Sociology Essay There are a few characteristics to become a successful Latino in the U.S: 1.You have to be determined and persistent at what your academic and professional goal is. 2.You must work hard to reach these goals, like doing good at your studies receiving good grades and be recommended by the school you attended at. 3.With about 20 years or more of school it takes to get degree at whatever subject you are working hard for will pay off. 4.Always thinking toward starting your business for that is the biggest goal for many Latinos. 5.Once you find a job work as hard as you did in school, get more experience in the job world and try to look for a job that pays better than now, but if you like the pay and job you work for, then stay. 6.With dedication and hard work, who knows maybe you can get promoted to a higher position and get even better pay. 7.Once you finally own your business make sure you be reasonable at the pay you give to your employees reasonable pay and benefits and that whatever your is sells and your business will last a long time. These characteristics in becoming a successful Latino in the United States. Just to become dedicated and smart on what path you choose in life. 2. How do and/or will you fit this profile? I myself am dedicated at whatever I do. Sure I didn’t get the best marks in High School, because of all the fun I had. But now that I am in a Technical College, I am very dedicated and focused more than ever. Doing whatever assignments they give as soon possible and well done. I do well on test since I study on the notes I take in class. I am very dedicated this time because it something I wanted to do for a long time, its something I like. Become a Designer of Structures, Objects, and soon characters for Video Games, for that is my major goal in my life. When I do find a job I will also very dedicated if it’s the job I wanted all my life. But I will always keep in mind to start my own business, but mostly my main goal is to work for major video game company and design the characters, backgrounds, etc. With a little hard work and dedication I am almost there at finally making my childhood dream come true. Research Papers on What are the characteristics of a Successful Latino in the United States - Sociology EssayThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationHip-Hop is ArtNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NicePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyStandardized TestingEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaResearch Process Part OneMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Hockey Game

Friday, November 22, 2019

Case Study on QR Codes

Introduction of QR codes contributed significantly improvement of advertising and enhancing efficiency for an organization. The codes help an organization to offer customers a chance to obtain extra information about the product or the company itself. QR codes offer companies an excellent chance for advertising because the symbols used can be used be converted into video and thus helping to convey the message to the customer. The QR code works in such away a way that the company uses a QR code generator to design a readable and interesting message (Dacko, 2012). For the customer to see or read the message or the content of the QR code, they should have a smart phone which has QR reader application. One of the advantages of QR code over bar codes is that consumers will tend to spend more time on the company’s website which may influence their decision to buy. QR codes are capable of holding bulk information which makes it very convenient for companies using it. This report anal yzes how QR codes influences the decision making processes for individual consumers. It also analyzes the use of the codes in marketing and how efficient they are. 1. QR codes are used in several stages of consumer decision making process. The first stage in which QR codes are used by decision makers is the information searching stage. This is the stage where a customer gathers information about a particular product or line of product after identifying his/her needs. Searching of information helps the consumer to make informed purchase decisions. Since QR code offers quick access to a company’s information, the consumer can therefore obtain useful information from the website (Bryson & Daniels, 2015). The website may contain information on product offered, description, prices, after sale services offered and other useful information on the product that the consumer wants to buy. Therefore, by using QR codes, a company such as Gellerie can provide information on a product to the consumers easily. QR codes are also useful in evaluation of alternatives by the consumer. The consumer can scan the QR code and get access to the different types of products offered by a particular company. For example a McDonald’s customer can identify th e available flavors and varieties of Pizza by using QR codes (Haase, 2011). A customer can also compare different companies by accessing their QR codes. QR is also important in the post purchase evaluation. Consumers can compare what they bought with what was promised in the QR code. Consumers also obtain usage prescriptions and manual for machines and equipment to guide them in using the product. 2. There is huge marketing opportunity in the service sector. This is because, QR codes helps in making provision of services more efficient. This is therefore very important since the aim of every service provider is to offer efficient and reliable services to its customers. QR codes can be used in the retail business to check information on a product. An example is when a consumer wants to buy a product in a supermarket; he/she can scan the QR code to obtain information on the manufacturer of the product. A QR code can also be used in the financial services industry. Banks can place QR codes in their products such as cheques which customers can scan to get information on the state of their account and market the institution to its customers. The banks can include information on products offered and interest rates. QR codes can also be used in the health services sector. An example is an hospital issuing its patients QR codes to identify the period of time it will take them to be s erved and their number in the queue (Kotler, Armstrong, & Harris, 2017).This will help to eliminate physical queuing by patients. In the transport industry, QR codes can be used in place of paper tickets. Customers can book to travel online and then obtain a unique QR code which contains their identification details and all other relevant information. 3. The fact that use of QR codes help in bypassing multiple layers of distribution and support marketing. This not only applies in the goods market as well as in the service market. The advantages of bypassing multiple layers of distribution in the service sector include; Increasing efficiency in an organization by reducing the time taken to serve each customer. This happens by reducing the procedures that a customer should go through before getting the service they require. The use of QR codes are important in reducing layers of distribution by making it possible for customers to obtain some services online instead of physically. QR codes helps an organization to market the services it offers by giving customers QR through which they can access extra information about the company (Russell, 2010). By reducing support services, the organization will be able to reduce costs that it would have otherwise incurred and therefore its important in reducing costs which in turn increase profit margins. The level of customer satisfaction is   also increased when layers of distribution reduce. This is very important in maintaining existing customers by an organization. 4. QR codes affect perceived risks of a product through various ways. One of the ways in which the use of QR codes has affected the perceived risk in the service industry is that it has reduced the risk of delay in getting services. Time Is a very important factor especially in the service industry and therefore, there is always a risk not getting the services a consumer needed on time. Since use of QR codes helps in reducing distribution layers and reducing the time taken to serve each customer, the use of QR codes will reduce the perceived risk of delay in service delivery. QR codes also reduce the perceived risk of getting poor services from an organization (Woodall, 2007). By using the QR codes, customers are assured of good services from the service provider since the QR code offers important information on the services offered and the organization itself. The use of QR codes helps to reduce the perceived risk of loss of confidentiality. Since most consumers of services are ver y concerned about confidentiality, the use of QR code will help reduce the risk of unauthorized persons gaining access to their private information. 5. Use of QR codes has been very fundamental in improving service support and customer satisfaction both in the service industry and the product market. There are other forms of interactive content that can be developed to improve service delivery. One of this content is the development of a self service application that can be used by customers to obtain services online. This will help the customers to get the service they require very quickly and conveniently without having to visit the facility physically. Development of a machine that can be used to make deposits in the bank like an ATM is used for withdrawing would be important in improving services and customer satisfaction in the financial services industry. This will help in eliminating long queues in the banks. QR code should be used by companies more in promoting and advertising their products and services. This will help in reducing the costs incurred by organization in advertising. Organizations should be innovative and embrace the use of interactive technology in adding value to the services offered to consumers Bryson, J. R., & Daniels, P. W. (2015). Handbook of Service Business: Management, Marketing, Innovation and Internationalisation. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. Dacko, S. (2012). Time?of?day services marketing. Journal Of Services Marketing, 26(5), 375-388. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/08876041211245290 Haase, M. (2011). Service-Dominant Logic for Marketing. Marketing ZFP, 33(2), 98-110. https://dx.doi.org/10.15358/0344-1369-2011-2-98 Information Resources Management Association. (2016). Web-based services: Concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications. Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., & Harris, L. (2017). Principles of marketing (1st ed.). New York: Pearson. Russell, E. (2010). The fundamentals of marketing (1st ed.). Lausanne: AVA Academia. Woodall, T. (2007). New marketing, improved marketing, apocryphal marketing. European Journal Of Marketing, 41(11/12), 1284-1296. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03090560710821170

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Suffragette in the 1910's Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Suffragette in the 1910's - Research Paper Example New leaders of the movement such as Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton came from antislavery movement. Relations between the two movements were cordial at different political, personal and ideological levels but a turn came when Wendell Phillips set aside the issue of women suffrage to work for enfranchisement for newly independent blacks: â€Å"I hope in time to be as bold as Stuart Mill and add to that last clause ‘sex’!! But this hour belongs to the Negro.† From there on the movement split into two camps: the â€Å"moderates,† headed by Lucy Stone followed the Republican strategy while the radicals were led by Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, focusing the movement nearer to the New York Journal, The Revolution. Christine Stansell, â€Å"Feminism and Suffrage: The Emergence of an Independent Women's Movement in America by Ellen Carol DuBois,† Feminist Studies, 1980, 70-71. Introduction The history of women suffrage movement in the U nited States begins from 1848 when a call for the right to vote was made at the Seneca Falls Woman’s Right Convention. Initially, the movement vouched for equal rights in all areas of public interest such as civil, political, economic, and personal related to property, guardianship of their own children, equal salaries and reach to top-tier professional jobs besides freedom to right over family planning. The demand for the right to vote was not on the top of their agenda and there was no unanimity over demanding suffrage among the leading women functionaries of the movement. The new line of suffragists gaining national stature were the â€Å"New Women,† like Carrie Chapman Catt, Nettie Rogers Shuler, Harriet Taylor Upton, Anna Howard Shaw who saw no logic in running two parallel bodies and assimilated the associations into The National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA). This was a lackluster phase of the movement, as it was passing through â€Å"the doldrums ,† period from 1896 to 1910. Presidency of Anna Howard Shah in 1904 could not revive the movement. After she stepped down, Carrie Chapman Catt was appointed the president of NAWSA. Her â€Å"winning plan,† made it sure that in stead of running state-level campaigns attention should be given on federal amendments to effectively get the right to vote for the American women. 2 ________________________________ 2. Elna C. Green, â€Å"Southern Strategies: Southern Women and the Woman Suffrage Question,† (The University of North Carolina Press), p. 2-4. There was no doubt over Catt’s capability of organization; she could handle NAWSA resources and staff in two states effectively. Finally, the nineteenth amendment was made on June 1919 by the Congress and was sent to the states for ratification. From 1910s onwards, the second wave on suffragette started on a forceful note bringing the movement out of â€Å"the doldrums,† recruiting women in large numbers w ith every southern state having a permanent suffrage organization by 1913. 3 Fanny Wright led the movement by supporting the cause of abolition of slavery, free secular education, birth control, and softer conditions on getting a divorce by women through her books such as Course of Popular Lectures (1829) and writing in the Free Enquirer. In 1840, the suffrage movement got another push when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were not granted permission to speak in the World Anti-Slavery Convention, as Stanton remarked on it: "We resolved to hold a convention as soon as we returned home, and form a society to advocate the rights of women." The American Equal Rights Association came into existence in 1866 but no decision could be made in Kansas on Negro suffrage and women suffrage. Later, in 1869 the National Women Suffrage

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Quantitative Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quantitative Decision Making - Essay Example Decision analysis also makes managers know which decisions are in favor of their companies and which can go against the benefits of the companies. â€Å"An effective decision-making process reduces the possibility of wrong choices or failures† (Ilyas). Let us take an example related to my professional field. I am a sales manager at a hardware company. The company sells all types of hardware products to the customers. A few months ago, I decided to replace all old style products with latest ones in order to achieve high levels of profits and to make the company style oriented. I had in my mind that the company’s sales could be increased by presenting the customers with new and latest styles instead of old ones. However, I did not consider the ratio of high-income people to low-income people while taking the decision. Moreover, I did not make use of six steps included in the process of quantitative decision-making. Therefore, the decision did not result in favor of the co mpany and we suffered major decrease in the profits. I think I should have done a survey of the market before taking the decision. Along with that, I should have listed all possible alternatives regarding the decision. I should also have calculated the expected profit of each combination of alternatives and outcomes.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Urban transport conditions Essay Example for Free

Urban transport conditions Essay Urban transport conditions in bangkok, thailand For the past 30 years, the urban population of the world has been rapidly growing. In 1975, the urban population in developing regions has exponentially grown from 861 Million to 2135 Million in year 2000, and still is expected to grow by 45% in 2015 (Metge Jehanno, 2006). Such increase in population would entail a subsequent demand in adequate transportation systems. Being a developing country would involve that new developments will take place, which will result in the traffic congestion of the area. Such congestions will be due to the lack of mitigation policies, particularly pertaining to land use and transportation (Hokao Mohamed,1999). Thailand’s urban centre, Bangkok, is one good focus in analyzing the conditions of urban transportation in Developing countries. Bangkok â€Å"began in 1782 as a settlement on the bank of the Chao Phraya, and this area soon became the center of the city’s government and religious institutions† (Wyatt, 1995: n. p. ). Bangkok Metropolis has an area of 1,569 sq km (606 sq mi), which restricts it to utilize much of the land for the construction of roads. Bangkok is barely above sea-level, making it subject to frequent flooding, in addition to the 60 inches of precipitation it receives every year. Chao Phraya River is just one of the major waterways in Thailand, which is still currently used as a route for transport within the city. However, some of the canals have been filled in order to accommodate the construction of roads (Wyatt, 2005). The Bangkok Metropolis’ modes of transportation barely meet the demands of its 9 million daytime populations. Sixty-five percent of the city population relies on public transportation, more specifically the city buses, metered taxis, the Skytrain, the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) subway, and the tuk-tuks. The Skytrain has a capacity of 700,000 passengers per day, and is situated along the Silom and Sukhumvit, two of the most frequently congested roads in Bangkok. The MRT is a Thai-foreign venture whose construction commenced in 1997, and approximates a capacity of 80,000 passengers per hour. The Tuk-tuks are the Thai version of the canopied tricycle, and are public utility vehicles that can accommodate up to three persons per trip (â€Å"Tuktuks, Bangkok†, n. d. ). The mass transit system includes both buses and trains (â€Å"Infrastructure: Highways†, 2004). Although there are existing public transportation systems, the increase of the number of private car ownership doesn’t seem to wane. According to a study conducted by Du Pont and Egan (1997), such increase in ownership can be attributed to the inadequacy of Bangkok’s mass transit system. The rate of the development of infrastructures simply cannot keep up with such a rapid pace of motorization, therefore, this results in intolerable traffic jams in the city (Gakenheimer, 1997). One problem causing the endless traffic congestion in Bangkok is the proportion of road area to the number of vehicles traversing the roads everyday. Only 8% of Bangkok’s land area (roughly 625 sq km) has been used for roads, which is obviously insufficient to accommodate its 2 million vehicles (Du Pont Egan, 1997). Poboon et al. (1994) conclude that: â€Å"Traffic jams in Bangkok are therefore inevitable because they are attempting to carry too little passenger travel on public transport relative to their provision of roads† (as cited in Du Pont Egan, 1997). The inefficient city planning that failed to provide secondary routes from the major arteries within the city cause traffic to be as slow as an average of 6-10 kph in the central business district. Such inefficiency results in an annual loss of $9.6 billion, simply because an estimated 44 days in productivity is lost in exchange for travel time (as cited in Du Pont Egan, 1997). Not only does congestion account for the financial losses of the city, it also aggravates air pollution. In 1990, it has been estimated that â€Å"8-hour exposure at street level is equivalent to smoking 9 cigarettes per day†, and that such levels of pollutants have exceeded the safety guidelines set by the World Health Organization (as cited in Du Pont Egan, 1997). GOVERNMENT PROJECTS AND IMPLEMENTATION The government has prioritized the Bangkok traffic issues, and several commissions have been institutionalized to deal with these issues, most of which had been unsuccessful (â€Å"ASEM Bangkok†, 1996). More than 30 government agencies are responsible for transport and urban development of Bangkok, but the implementation of transport and land-use plans are carried out by 11 agencies which fall under two ministries — Interior and Transport Communications (Du Pont Egan, 1997).

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Epic of Beowulf - Contradictory Christian Elements in Beowulf Essay

Contradictory Christian Elements in Beowulf  Ã‚        Ã‚   In Beowulf the Christian element, which coexists alongside the pagan or heathen, sometimes in a seemingly contradictory fashion, is many faceted.    Certainly the Christian element seems to be too deeply interwoven in the text for us to suppose that it is due to additions made by scribes at a time when the poem had come to be written down. The Christian element had to be included by the original poet or by minstrels who recited it in later times. The extent to which the Christian element is present varies in different parts of the poem. In the last portion (2200–3183) the number of lines affected by it amounts to less than four per cent., while in the section dealing with Beowulf’s return (1904–2199) it is negligible. In the earlier portions, on the other hand, the percentage rises to about ten percent (Ward v1,ch3,s3,n16).   The Christian element is about equally distributed between the speeches and the narrative.    While the poet’s reflections and characters’ statements are mostly Christian, the customs and ceremonies, on the other hand, are almost entirely heathen/pagan. This fact seems to point to a heathen work which has undergone revision by Christian minstrels. In the case of cremation mentioned in reference to Hildeburh’s family in The Finnsburh Episode and in relation to Beowulf at the end of the poem, which is the prevalent form of funeral rite found in the poem, this practice had probably passed out of use by the time the poem was starting to be Christianized, so such passages could not excite the repugnance among the Christian listeners in the audience.    The Christianity of Beowulf is of an indefinite and undoctrinal type. The minstrels ... ...dictory fashion; it is a many-faceted subject to study.    BIBLIOGRAPHY    Alexander, Michael, translator. The Earliest English Poems. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.    Bloom, Harold. â€Å"Introduction.† In Modern Critical Interpretations: Beowulf, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.    Chickering, Howell D.. Beowulf A dual-Language Edition. New York: Anchor Books, 1977.    Frank, Roberta. â€Å"The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History.† In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.    The Holy Bible, edited by dom Bernard Orchard. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1966.    Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000            

Monday, November 11, 2019

Playmobil Toysâ€the Secret to the Years of Toy Craze Essay

A little over a century ago, you wouldn’t believe that Playmobil, one of the most loved toy companies, started out as a lock and fitting company originally called Metallwarenfabrik. It was founded by Andreas Brandstatter, a locksmith in Zindorf, Germany. It had a few years of great track record and was not only manufacturing locks, they were even manufacturing cash registers, telephones and other various sheet metal products coincidentally to be used for toy establishments. In the 1950s, the current owner of the company, Horst Branstatter shifted the company into plastic manufacturing and joined in on the Hula Hoop Craze, which is incidentally the start of an international craze for Playmobil Toys. But one question comes to mind, why do kids and parents go crazy for these Toys? For one, the company’s ideal for toys stem from its roots of lock and metal fitting—collecting all the right pieces and fitting them together to complete a set. Its collectability is one of its greatest marketing strategy. Same for the kids, it is a matter of pride once you manage to complete a set. Typically, most toy sets would have one center piece for the set and have multiple accessories. Each and every piece would have its individual uniqueness. The fun of having a toy is being able to divulge into a world of imagination using it as a medium. A single piece has complete functionality to fulfil its role on the set’s storyline, having functioning parts that can interact with its fellow toy pieces. This allows children of all ages to use their imagination to its full extent, giving never-ending fun on the part of the kids and a satisfied smile on their parents’ lips.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Vietnam War and the Media

Write an essay that offers a critical examination of the concept of the ‘guilty media’ thesis in respect of any war of your choice Natasa Perdiou The Vietnam War was the first war that allowed uncensored media coverage resulting in images and accounts of horrific events that served to shape public opinion of the war like nothing that had been seen before. This portrayal by the media led to a separation between the press and the U. S. government, as much of what was reported defied the intentions of government policy.The media has fell blame by many for the result of the war, as it is widely believed that the war could not have been won under the scrutiny that came from the American people as a result of the media coverage. From the beginning of the Vietnam War to the present, the media has been an immeasurable factor in the perception of the war as the stories, true or false, that were reported gave the American people a face to an ugly war. The question over how much, i f any, the media had affected the outcome of the war has been an unrelenting one and is likely to continue for a long time to come.But one fact that cannot be doubted is that the dreadfulness of war entered the living rooms of Americans for the first time during the Vietnam War. For nearly a decade the American public could watch villages being destroyed, Vietnamese children burning to death, and American body bags being sent home. Although early coverage mainly supported U. S involvement in the war, television news dramatically changed its frame of the war after the Tet Offensive. Images of the U. S led massacre at My Lai dominated the television, yet the daily atrocities committed by North Vietnam and the Viet Cong rarely made the evening news.Moreover, the anti-war movement at home gained increasing media attention while the U. S soldier was forgotten in Vietnam. There was a stable build up of US military support activity in Vietnam during the period 1954 to 1965, but the first c ombat troops did not emerge until March 1965. During this period, media attention in the war was slow in building up, the first resident TV correspondent, NBC’s Garrick Utley, only arriving in late 1964. The media did build up and as the war became progressively more aggressive, journalists were sent out in increasing numbers.It would be fair to say that reporting of Vietnam increased approximately in proportion to the military presence. Prior to the involvement of ground troops in Vietnam, media coverage was concentrated to the political dimension of the war of stabilizing a non-communist regime in South Vietnam. The media at this time was committed to reporting news that reflected the common anti-communist stance, which was so † powerful in the early 60's that as long as the Vietnam War remained small, the administration had little trouble with the press† (Hallin 28). [4]By 1965 media coverage of Vietnam increased as the U. S. was becoming more part of an aggres sive war. Reporting began to shift from the intention of eradication the world of communism to the frustration of the men in the field. After the heavy use of ground troops, a shift in coverage occurred that â€Å"put much of the attention on the military situation† of the war. (Wyatt 133). [9] An increasing number of reports began to emerge about a lack of incentive and motivation on the part of the South Vietnamese troops. This brought to question the whole role of American interference, as the U.S. was proposed to support the South Vietnamese in their effort against the North, not the other way around. 1965 did not only mark the increase of ground troops into Vietnam, it also brought the emergence of television into the realm of media coverage, while the government was trying to maintain the idea that that the U. S was making encouraging progress, that the Vietnam War was necessary and that victory was not inevitable. While a small percentage of coverage was dedicated to w arfare and death, what was seen was not forgotten by the American people.The famous General William Westmoreland states that â€Å"[the coverage was] almost exclusively violent, miserable or controversial; guns firing, men falling, helicopters crashing, buildings toppling, huts burning, refugees fleeing, women wailing. A shot of a single building in ruins could give the impression of an entire town destroyed. † [7] So, in spite of continuous reports of victory, the public had a hard time coming to grips with what they saw their troops involved in Vietnam. Such coverage, along with the vivid images that emerge on T. V. ed to a serious rise in anti-war protest that was merely strengthened by the events of 1968. The Tet Offensive of 1968 marked the greatest conflict in beliefs of the United Stated government and the media. In January, North Vietnamese troops attacked the North cities of South Vietnam and the U. S. embassy in Saigon. The media and the television, however, portray ed the attack as a brutal defeat for the U. S, totally altering the outcome of the war at the very moment when government officials were publicly stating that victory in Vietnam was â€Å"just around the corner† (Wyatt 167)[8].The media covered all the events that immediately followed the Tet Offensive and the American public began wondering whether this war could be won. Don Oberdorfer a Washington reporter said that â€Å"there’s no doubt Tet was one of the biggest events in contemporary American history, within two months the, American body politically turned around on the war. And they were significantly influenced by events they saw on television†. [2] The Tet offensive was not totally unpredicted by the US military.In reality, the final result was a success, in military terms, for the US as the Vietnamese did undergo serious casualties and were driven back. However, the America media were not expectant of the attack and assumed that the military did not ei ther. Seeing the US embassy being undertaken by the Vietnamese presented the event as a defeat, ‘television fell prey to its chronic lust for drama. ’[1] After the Tet offensive the media began to attack the American involvement in Vietnam.It became clear to the American public that there was no clear way to win the war. Also, in reaction to public mood the media started sending damaging reports from the frontlines; they suggested that American troops lacked the specific training for the terrain and the type of warfare they were subjected to. They also gave the idea to people that the new rebellious generation and the great pressures of the war meant that many soldiers were drug abusers and carrying out atrocities. The media concentrated on civilian casualties and incidents such as the one in My Lai,These images on people’s televisions, left people in outrage, many had lost faith in the war and saw no military plan capable of wining such a war. They were outraged by their country’s conduct in the war and were set into a moral panic, seeing brutal scenes of civilian casualties committed by their own troops. The war was now seen as a shameful one and the government was seen to be at fault, forcing many young men to their death or to commit the atrocities they saw on their TV screens.The former Vietnam correspondent Robert Elegant of the Los Angeles times said that â€Å"for the first time in modern history the outcome of a war is seemed destined to be determined not on the battlefield but on the printed page and, above all, on the television screen† [3] The reporting of the actual war was deteriorating, just at the moment when the American military advisers hoped to push for victory. The North Vietnamese causalities following the Tet offensive had left them vulnerable and it was expected that an immediate attack to cut the Ho Chi Minh trail would permit the US troops the chance for total success.The news, though, was almost tota lly concentrating on the rising anti-war division in the US and stories of low morale and indiscipline among the US troops. The media were responsible for the American withdrawal from Vietnam because of the poor quality of reporting which lacked in validity in its facts about events and incidents in the war. It seems with all these misreports or blatant lies, which was meant to purposely damage the image of the American fighting forces in Vietnam public opinion of the war was very low in America. However the question is to what extent, if any, did this coverage change the outcome of the war?It would be reasonable to suggest that the Tet offensive was the most significant incident in shaping the outcome of the war. The media certainly reported the assault in the most inaccurate way for the US army. Activist young journalists, who had not in the past witness any real fighting were all of a sudden bounded by fighting supposed that the North Vietnamese had won a great victory. The US go vernment and army were to a degree guilty since they were aware the assault was going to happen and did not inform the media for reasons of national security.There was a succeeding recovery by the Americans and the media did not report this. Moreover, fragile leadership, mainly from Lyndon Johnson, did not motivate confidence in the war effort. Evidence does also indicate that there was no absolute public support for the war, even earlier than the negative coverage by media began. The reasons for the war, to ceased the spreading of communism (the Domino Theory), were not clearly demonstrated and maintained. Some Americans began to realise that the Communist threat was used as a scapegoat to hide imperialistic intentions.After the media’s massive blunder of reporting the Tet offensive as a major psychological defeat, and not having the sophistication, integrity or courage to admit their error opposition to war rose sharply. These innumerable domestic divisions gave the chance to high ranking members of Johnson’s administration to begin expressing their disapproval of Johnson’s actions to the media. This put pressure on government into engaging in to a more defensive military strategy that may have altered the likelihood of victory for the US.President Johnson was under fire from anti-war ‘doves’ and submitted to both ceasing the bombing of North Vietnam and beginning the Paris Peace talks. As expected, he also announced his decision not to stand for re-election. To make things worse, the war cost two-thousand-million dollars every month. The price of many goods in the United States began to rise. The value of the dollar began to drop. The result was inflation. Then economic activity slowed, and the result was recession. Opposition to the war and to the Administration's war policies led to bigger and bigger anti-war demonstrations. Johnson’s successor, Richard Nixon, in an effort to gain the public support back announced a plan of ‘Vietnamization’ of the war. This involved swapping US troops with more South Vietnamese troops, trained and armed by the US, after the first US troop withdrawals from Vietnam started in June 1969. Unluckily for Nixon, this did not discourage the anti-war protest who demonstrated in record numbers (250,000) in Washington in November 1969. [10] Images in television in every living room in America were showing the true dreadfulness of war for the first time.Reports of military failure (especially Tet) and slaughter such as the My Lai event shaped an air of scepticism. The media at home were also reporting the rising number and intensity of anti-war protest, legitimising opposition to war. A thing television was guilty of was only placing emphasis on the US troops. The stories that made the news were always about US troops in combat, US troops doing civil action, sometimes US troops in trouble (desertion, drugs, fragging). The allies, whose losses (280,000 South Vietnamese dead) far exceeded those of American troops, were invisible to the American crews.This gave the American public the feeling that the war was being waged mostly by the Americans and it was probably this, more than the almost exclusively violent coverage which gave the public a sense of disillusionment and war weariness. Additionally, media coverage of the war in Vietnam shook the faith of citizens at home. The media was the catalyst, which promoted the rising American anti-war movement. They were to a great degree accountable for the American troops’ withdrawal from Vietnam because of its poor quality of reporting which lacked in accuracy about the facts and events of the war.It is obvious that this kind of misinformation seriously destroyed both the image and the morale of the American soldier in Vietnam. There’s no wonder public opinion of the war was very low in America. But the truth is that the media only sunk a slowly sinking politically based ship, as public opinion of the war was already falling. The public were already starting to see through the government’s political talk that they had no definite military plan for victory or a justifiable reason to fight against a nation of infantrymen.The American media just dramatised the events to entirely destroy the very political principles which started the war. The media caused such a moral alarm in America at the time, people lost trust in its own government. The media left t America in such a chaos that its own government had to surrender to public opinion. So to what extend are the media guilty for the loss of the war? The media played a key role in American withdrawal from Vietnam. It might as well be proper to suggest that with American support for the war, America forces effort into the war may have been better and the outcome of the war may have been different.Nevertheless, the chief reality is that the America forces in Vietnam had no apparent military strategy to be s uccessful in its political mean. So consequently the media can not be solely guilty for the American withdrawal. Yet, the question is, would have American forces been withdraw from Vietnam with no media negative reporting of the war? The answer is that we will never know for sure. But we can undoubtedly say that Americans’ support for the war would have mostly remained high all over the war, the pressure on the American troops and government wouldn’t have appeared.Without all of the these factors the American troops may have had the time to adjust to the style of warfare and topography and resolve the behavioural and discipline troubles they were facing which highly attracted the media attention. This could mean that America would have continued the war in Vietnam, which may, but not definitely would have created a different outcome. Despite this, you still can’t say that the media is totally responsible for the withdrawal of American fighting forces in Vietnam. It was the longest war in American history which resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths and an estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths.The financial cost to the United States was just as deep. Even today, many Americans still ask whether the American effort in Vietnam was a sin, a blunder, a necessary war, or a noble cause, or an idealistic, if failed, effort to protect the South Vietnamese from totalitarian government. Nicholas Hopkinson’s statement is the one that probably best reflects the situation of the media in Vietnam: As public enthusiasm faded, reporting became more and more critical[†¦] but to single the media out as the decisive element in declining public opinion is incorrect.US opinion turned against the war because it was long unsuccessful, costly in terms of human life and expenditure. ’[6] Words: 2314 References Bibliography: 1. Braestrup, Peter. â€Å"The News Media and the War in Vietnam: Myths and Realities† 2. Don Oberdorfer, Tet! , S eptember 1, 1971 3. Elegant, Robert, ‘How to Lose a War', Encounter, 57, 2 (1981), 73 89 4. Hallin, Daniel C. , The Uncensored War: The Media and Vietnam. Los Angles: California University of California Press, 1986. 5. George Herring, America's Longest War: The United States in Vietnam, 1950-1975 (1986) . Nicholas Hopkinson, â€Å"War and the media’’ Wilton Paper 55 (London: HMSO, 1992): 6-7 7. Westmoreland, William C. A Soldier Reports (Garden City, N. Y. , Doubleday, 1976) 8. William M. Hammond, Public Affairs: The Military and the Media, 1962-1968 (1989) and Public Affairs: The Military and the Media, 1968-1973 (1996). 9. Wyatt, Clarence R. Paper Soldiers: The American Press and the Vietnam War. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. Internet sources : 10. www. nytimes. com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1115. html

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Impact of Internet on Company Operations

Impact of Internet on Company Operations Introduction Commercial use of the Internet and the World Wide Web is expanding at an astounding rate (Barnes Hunt 2012). As we move into the twenty-first century, the number of people using online services continues to grow. The same applies to the number of Web hosts. From a business perspective, nearly 90 per cent of all corporations now maintain a Web presence (Mills Law 2005).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of Internet on Company Operations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hundreds of thousands of companies have begun exploiting the commercial potential of the Web and the market has evolved into a multi billion dollar economy. In all these, the Web has proved to be the catalyst responsible for launching the Internet into commerce (Barnes Hunt 2012). Evidence clearly indicates that in many areas, the Internet is having a positive impact on business competitiveness and profitability (Khosrow-Pour 2006, p. 954). So much attention is being paid to how the Internet is changing business, corporate relations, education, and work. This paper looks at how the Internet is impacting business operations, with specific reference to CPR Works which is an owner managed public relations company based in Birmingham, UK. Defining the Internet The Internet is a global network of interlinked computers operating on a standard protocol that allows information exchange. It is made up of computer networks, and individual computers throughout the world connected by phone lines, satellites and other telecommunication systems (Mà ¼ller 2011, p. 3). The original users of the Internet were researchers in the government and universities. Full commercial connection to the Internet only became available in the year 1990. The most popular early commercial activities on the Internet were email, advertising, and promotion. Until the mid 1990s, applications were mostly text based and marketing involved sending pl ain text messages (Mà ¼ller 2011, p. 5). However, the introduction of the World Wide Web completely changed things.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The adoption of the Internet has been fastest in countries with high gross domestic products and in countries where English is the first language or a widely spoken second language. Impact of Internet on Business Operations in General The Internet and related technologies offer an unprecedented opportunity for firms to benefit from the ability to gather information, promote their operations, and offer improved services to customers (Fletcher et al. 2004). A number of possible effects of the Internet on the marketing environment suggest that firms will experience fewer barriers to achieve efficiency. The impacts of the Internet include reduced importance of economies of scale, lower marketing communications costs, great er price standardization, and reduced information float time, increased contact between buyers and sellers, and changes in intermediary relationships (Fletcher et al. 2004). When it comes to search costs, the Internet increases the amount of information available to both buyers and sellers, and makes information available in a convenient and timely manner (Suder 2004, p.7). As far as contracting costs are concerned, the Internet makes it easier to compare ad negotiate prices and other terms, and to keep in touch with and monitor the performance of partners in business relationships (Mills Law 2005). Regarding coordination costs, the Internet generally reduces the costs of sharing information, and can automate and integrate many business processes. Because of these changes, the boundary between a firm and its environment is changing drastically. Markets are becoming more efficient and agile and firms must become more flexible and responsive to compete with a more dynamic market for exchange. Managers must increasingly deal with exchanges in the market place over which they have little control, rather than between subsidiaries, units, and employees over which they have administrative authority.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of Internet on Company Operations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is, therefore, quite obvious that Internet and related technologies are strong agents of change. If a firm in a value chain starts doing business electronically, soon companies up and down the chain must follow suit and start using similar technologies or risk substitution in the activities of the chain. As a marketing channel, the Internet has a number of activities. First, the Internet has an ability to inexpensively store vast amounts of information at different virtual locations. Second, it offers a powerful and inexpensive means of searching, organizing and disseminating such information. Thi rd, it offers interactivity and the ability to provide information on demand. Fourth, it guarantees a firm the ability to provide perceptual experiences superior to those from the printed catalogue. The Internet can also serve as a physical distribution medium for certain goods such as software. It is also associated with relatively low entry and establishment costs for sellers (Suder 2004, p.14). Generally, the Internet is both a communications and marketing intelligence tool. As a communications tools, it can help to build and maintain effective communications with customers, distributors, and suppliers. The Internet facilitates this by providing a low cost method of communication with people locally or abroad. Besides transmitting in text form, the Internet can also transfer graphics and drawings at very high speed. Through the support offered by electronic communications, firms are now able to communicate quite smoothly and very cheaply, unlike in the past. It is thus obvious th at firms that are not prepared to embrace technology are in danger of being left behind. In terms of advertising and promotion, the Internet is an effective medium because people wherever they are can receive messages as they are transmitted. The information processing ability of the Internet is a market intelligence tool that acts as a link between firms and the external environment in which they operate. Effective management of information systems can be a powerful source of competitive advantage and the use of Internet for marketing intelligence enables firms to access information about the market with higher speed and at lower cost. Search engines and electronic surveys also provide useful tools for obtaining information about different markets locally or internationally. Firms that are interested in Internet marketing can access a variety of international information sources such as online newspapers and journals, country and industry market research reports, trade lists of sup pliers, agents and distributors as well as government contacts.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Industry Level Impacts According to Wallace (2004, p. 19), Internet technology may be used as a mechanism to facilitate an industry wide set of objectives. Developments in the UK accounting profession are a very good example of this. Although the primary use of the Internet within an organization is to communicate and access whatever information is needed, it may also be used to link collaborating organizations and ensure that they are able to work as a unit for their benefit and for the benefit of partners. However, on the other side of the coin, the market positions of some players may be strengthened, leading to improved market share (Wallace 2004, p. 21). Apart from the effects of the Internet mentioned above, it is also possible to come across other effects that may not be obvious. In general, a firm that uses the Internet is regarded by stake holders as being inventive and ambitious. The stake holders include customers, competitors, employees, and government. To clearly unders tand how the Internet impacts the industry, it is absolutely necessary to isolate interior and exterior impacts. Ordinarily, one will find that issues that are encountered differ from one firm to another significantly. The following sub section takes a look at how the Internet has revolutionized the operations at CPR Works. Background Information on CPR Works CPR Works was formed as a limited company in December 1994 and currently, the company has a turnover of slightly less that  £200,000 per annum (Barnes Hunt 2012). The company provides a public relations service to the heating and energy industries. CPR Works currently employs three full time staff members and sub-contracts any additional work to freelancers. The company uses two personal computers in its office premises, and the managing director uses a third personal computer at home. Since its inception, the company has been using computers to facilitate its business operations. Initially, the computers were introduced to enable CPR Works handle simple computer based operations such as word processing and management of access databases. A few years later, CPR Works managed to secure a leased line Internet service. Today, CPR has email, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Web, and Usenet facilities. Usually, the Internet service provider (ISP) charges CPR Works a small fee to maintain the Internet connection and ensure that all is well. Recently, the ISP provided CPR with a dedicated connection for some of its staff to operate away from the office. The Impact of the Internet on CPR’s Operations In terms of the model of Internet impacts, CPR Works demonstrated the following important developments: Communication The benefits of networking communications have been significant. In environments where operations are time bound, a slight improvement in communication is very quite critical. The outcome of these technological changes has brought a radical transformation to the entire communication system at C PR Works. One notable change has been the increased processing speed. With the kind of technology present at CPR, the firm is able to communicate much more quickly and at reduced costs. The presence of email and Usenet facilities implies that staff members can comfortably stay in touch with the organization from wherever they are. Once again, execution time is lessened and both CPR and its customers are a satisfied lot. Compared to operating without an Internet facility, the cost of managing an Internet connection through an ISP is negligible. CPR Works, therefore, stands to benefit greatly from the improved communication services. Customers are now able to contact staff members through email and Web based services such as Usenet. Obviously, the high level of availability and accessibility has resulted in outstanding services being offered to customers. Today, CPR Works enjoys the benefits of an efficient email communication system that enables it to stay in touch with customers, be sides guaranteeing smooth communication among staff members. Through effective use of the services provided by the Internet, CPR Works has also been able to improve its customer relations and this has led to repeat business from these customers. CPR Works uses mostly Microsoft Outlook for email communications, but employees are free to use any other email program. Some employees have, therefore, chosen to use Gmail, Yahoo mail, Hotmail, and other email based programs. To surf the Web, employees use various Web browsers. CPR Works prefers Internet Explorer, but staff members are also free to use other web browsers like Mozilla, Opera, Google Chrome to name but a few. Although these browsers generally function in a similar way, they tend to differ in terms of speed, security and other additional features that boost performance. Information Retrieval Through the use of Internet services, CPR Works can now easily monitor the activities of both its partners and clients. The Internet also enables CPR Works to monitor the activities of rival firms and to respond appropriately in retaliation. However, staff members are often concerned about the fact that they can not find time to sit at their computers as frequently as they would like to. With the help of technology, CPR Works is now able to securely store its data. This includes maintaining back up copies just in case a disaster occurs. The firm is able to facilitate easy retrieval of information using well designed databases. This easy retrieval of information eventually translates into speedy processing and improved business performance. With a working database in place, CPR is can interact more frequently with customers and partners. Interestingly, most of the interaction takes place through web based applications. More than anything else, the web based applications have played a big role in helping to lock in customers. Like other companies that use databases, CPR Works will need to improve its performance by pur chasing and configuring a database server to be used to service requests from client machines. The said client machines may be internal or external to the firm. Knowledge Management Increasingly, firms are realizing that besides capital, labor, and land, knowledge is also very critical to the success of business operations. Intellectual property is a synonym used to refer to knowledge management. Typically, knowledge is classified as tacit or explicit. Tacit knowledge exists within individuals and can not be easily reduced to the digital domain (Ian 2009, p. 9). Explicit knowledge on he other hand, can be recorded digitally in various forms. Some factors to consider in knowledge management include sharing of best practices, globalization, handling rapid change, dealing with down sizing, effective management of information and communication overload, embedding knowledge in products, and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. By ensuring that best practices are freely shared, CPR is able to create a learning environment, and less skilled employees can get an opportunity to learn from the highly skilled staff members in the firm. This becomes particularly useful as the firm continues to expand in size. It is, however, necessary for CPR to put in place a scheme to motivate staff to share with colleagues what they are able to do effectively. Well managed knowledge will certainly create an opportunity for the research and development team at CPR to make available their research reports regarding the global business environment (Ian 2009, p. 12). This information can later be used to formulate effective marketing strategies. Usually, when an organization downsizes, it stands the risk of losing the best talent. Effective knowledge management is one way of ensuring that an organization maintains its knowledge even when an important employee leaves. Effective knowledge management will enable CPR to capture all the critical knowledge that resides within people an d put it in a digital form, ready to be accessed and used by other staff who are authorized to do so. It may be necessary to also ensure that such information is properly backed up and put in safe custody. With a good knowledge management system, CPR Works will also be able to stay ahead of its competitors. The firm will gain ideas regarding the market situations and what competitors are doing to get to succeed. With such information at its disposal, CPR will be able to device strategies that will allow it to take advantage of any available opportunities to defeat competitors. For a very long time, CPR was not able to place its knowledge in a digital form in order to facilitate easy access. Part of this is proper tracking of CPR Works’ relationships with its clients. With the new technological developments in the firm, however, it has now become possible to get this done. As has been highlighted above, effective knowledge management is very critical to the success of business operations and results to improved efficiency in different parts of the organization. Productivity By having information stored in a digital form, manipulation is simplified and CPR Works can utilize the information in numerous situations. This tremendously improves the response time of CPR Works’ campaigns. The fact that the information exists in a digital form also means that the same information may be used more than once to meet different needs. With Internet services in place, CPR’s marketing can now happen in a less stressful way (Daft 2000, p. 5). It is now also possible for CPR Works to receive details from clients in a much easier and faster way. Similarly, clients are able to get whatever information they need from the company quite speedily. In the past, clients would have to fax information to the company and the company would do the same in reply. Today, however, communications have tremendously been improved (Daft 2000, p. 7). To further strengthen its o perations, CPR should invest in effective electronic systems. With such systems in place, CPR will be in a better position to motivate all employees who will in turn ensure that delivery meets the standards expected by clients. A positive change in the level of productivity at CPR Works will immediately translate into improved profits, and a satisfied team of customers. Environment In most cases, change always meets with resistance. Employees often worry about the repercussions of the new developments. In the case of CPR Works, there have been considerable changes in the organization. Nevertheless, every employee was prepared, and the firm had already made all the technology purchases necessary to create the entry level environment for the new technology (Bak Stair 2011). Everyone within the organization is more focused on improving customer service. Although CPR Works already had much of the hardware needed for it to take advantage of what the Internet had to offer, there were oth er requirements that the company still had to provide and these had to come at a price. Generally, the increased use of the Internet has compelled employees to turn to the use of information technology. As a result, the business is now exposed to new risks that are technologically related. However, everyone is excited about using the new technology. Importantly, the company is changing the way it assesses data (Bak Stair 2011). This clearly represents a fundamental change to the internal environment. In the past data was received in whatever form, often by fax, and then manually input to spreadsheets for analysis. Now, data and processes are seen as dynamic and automated processes mean that minimal data entry is used. Conclusion Clearly, the Internet has had a significant impact on the CPR’s business contacts as well as its operations in general. All stake holders in the business environment have been impacted by the business in one way or another. In general, the Internet p resents a new platform for interacting with suppliers, customers, and partners. Using the Internet, a firm such as CPR will be able to access a much wider market that could extend beyond the borders. By and large, the greatest impact of the Internet on the way firms operate has been improved communication. Organization level Internet related impacts are also common. To a great extent, most of the impacts of the Internet on business operations have benefited many organizations. Ordinarily, no major change is expected within organizations since most of them have been using information technology for the longest. However, most of these organizations were forced to change in one way or another due to the onset of Internet. For most organizations, the Internet is a critical instrument that can be used to facilitate both individual and organizational growth. Although there are some negative impacts that have been associated with using the Internet, it has been beneficial to the business w orld in general. Reference List Bak, O Stair, N 2011, Impact of E-Business Technologies on Public and Private Organizations: Industry Comparisons and Perspectives, Idea Group Inc (IGI), Hershey, PA. Barnes, S Hunt, B 2012, E-Commerce and V-Business, CRC Press, Woburn, MA. Daft, RL Marcic, D 2010, Understanding Management, Cengage Learning, Bedford Row, London. Fletcher, R, Bell, J, McNaughton, R, McNaughton, RB 2004, International E-Business Marketing, Cengage Learning EMEA, Bedford Row, London. Ian, S 2009, Online Banking and the role of CRM: The impact of the internet as online business platform on CRM (Study of Online banking in the UK), GRIN Verlag, Norderstedt, Germany. Khosrow-Pour, M 2006, Emerging Trends and Challenges in Information Technology Management: 2006 Information Resources Management Association International Conference, Washington, DC, USA, May 21-24, 2006, Volume 1, Idea Group Inc (IGI), Hershey, PA. Mills, JE Law, R 2005, Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Touri sm, and the Internet, Routledge, Binghamton, NY. Mà ¼ller, C 2011, The Impact of the Internet and Social Media on the Hotel Industry: How the Internet and Social Media have changed the Way Hotels Need to operate if they are to succeed in Todays Dynamic and Global Markets, GRIN Verlag, Norderstedt, Germany. Suder, GGS 2004, Terrorism and the International Business Environment: The Security-Business Nexus, Edward Elgar Publishing, Northampton, MA. Wallace, P 2004, The Internet in the Workplace: How New Technology is Transforming Work, Cambridge University Press, New York, NY.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Truth is objective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Truth is objective - Essay Example Let us see what is the established meaning of "Truth" and "Objective" -the objective truth of these two terms, essentially soul mates. Britannica says about truth "In philosophy, the property of statements, thoughts, or propositions that are said, in ordinary discourse, to agree with the facts or to state what is the case. It is a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true. It is the body of true statements and propositions" Webster's dictionary defines the term objective like this: of, relating to, or being an object, phenomenon, or condition in the realm of sensible experience independent of individual thought and perceptible by all observers: having reality independent of the mind; expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations. The opposite of objective is subjective. Objective history does not change. It cannot change. Subjective history is unique to the individual and cannot always be correct. Truth and objectivity go together like a being and its shadow, it will be there when there is the light of enlightenment and it will disappear when there is darkness of ignorance. Truth and subjectivity together will destroy each other, they are intensely opposite to each other. . In the Allegory of the Ca

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Blink and Entrepreneurial Mindset Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Blink and Entrepreneurial Mindset - Essay Example The entrepreneur can be seen as a special breed of small business owners who are concerned with living life to the fullest. They understand a bigger picture as they are discovering how their business works. Entrepreneurs are often seen as free thinkers who are always looking for new ways to express their business and who are always looking for unique ways to get their business out to the public. Experts often say that the entrepreneurial mindset is key to the entrepreneurs ability to solve problems in a unique and interesting way. In the beginning sections of Gladwells book, the reader is introduced to several new concepts. He is most interested in the concept of instinct although he does not call it instinct. He calls it the ability to understand a lot of information through a small bit of information. This information comes within the "first two seconds" (p. 8) of obtaining information. He calls this concept, "thin-slicing" and further defines it as "the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behavior based on very narrow slices of experience" (p. 23). When looking at the entrepreneurial mindset, the entrepreneur has the ability to think-slice all the time. They are constantly moving forward and gathering small bits of information in order to find new and innovative ideas. Gladwell sees intuition as important because it works before the conscious mind begins and often gives the most information these first few seconds. Gladwell also discusses the concept of rhythm in that in human relationships a natural rhythm emerges. For the entrepreneur, this rhythm acts as a second sense for the entrepreneur that allows them to provide their best service to their customers because they can determine their needs easily. Gladwell explains that thin-slicing is an automatic and instinctual way of understanding information quickly in any situation. Thin-slicing particularly happens in the first few seconds when someone

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 38

Essay Example According to him, natural laws are governed by the fact that man needs to fight for his survival. It is natural for man to seek peace in his life but if he gets into conflict with others due to competition, diffidence and glory, then he has the right to defend himself in order to restore his peace. With competition, he fights for gain, with diffidence, he fights for safety and with glory, he fights for his own reputation. Thus, although he seeks peace and knows he deserves it without hurting anybody, if he is threatened of such peace, then he can wage war in order to get his peace back. Hobbes also contends that a person’s rights, when renounced or transferred to others, are entered into social contracts, such as when people entrust their rights to a ruler. This means that all persons must mutually agree to transfer their right to a political sovereign or in Hobbes’ term, the state of Leviathan. It is also agreed that this state punishes violators of the agreement to ob ey the laws of society. The ruler’s power should come from the natural right of people to live in peace. Similarly, Locke believes that man is governed by natural law, but goes further in saying that it is the manifestation of human reason which restricts the egoism of pure self-interest such as having one’s individual peace and liberty, and promoting more sociable benefits. Locke proposes that man has three basic natural rights: to life, liberty and property. When people entrust a leader to these, it should not be absolute but only partial. Rulers are also vulnerable to the temptation of hoarding power. People are comfortable obeying the government as long as their individual rights are protected, thereby enhancing their freedom. Should they feel that it fails to do so, or that government violates their rights, they would feel the need to fight against it to regain their rights. Aristotle believes that the state should cater to the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Women and Learderhip Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women and Learderhip - Essay Example An example is the trait leadership theory. In this theory, it is believed that some people are born to lead. They inherit traits that deem them viable leaders. In the early days, men were the leaders and few women if any were given leadership roles. Thus, the inheritance theory insinuates that the leadership traits are passed down along gender lines. However, such traditional leadership theories have been modified by more current leadership theories. An example of such a theory is the behavioral leadership theory. In this scenario, leadership traits are acquired rather than inherited. The current theories are not gender biased and thus, anyone with the capability of acquiring the traits is regarded as a leader. The theories also give opportunities for people to rise to leadership responsibilities. Napoleon was a great leader and he led his army into many successful battles. The fact that he was participating in the war and fought along his men says that he led by example. This is considered as one of the most important traits in leadership. Leading by example creates confidence among the people working under you. Building confidence ensures that there is a good working environment and that the activity that people are undertaking is productive. Leading by example also allows a leader to evaluate the various situations that people encounter in the process of any activity. Thus, if any, immediate decisions need to be made, a leader can easily make a sound decision as he/she was involved in the proceedings. In this case, situational leadership is effective in cases where the leader was actively involved in the project. Leading by example allows for an environment where leaders can interact with their staff. Through this interaction, a leader gets to know areas where his/her team is weak and can rectify it so as to give a maximum output. Leaders interacting with their teams also create an environment where any team player can relay any

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Discussion of the Play Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Discussion of the Play Behind the Beautiful Forevers The play Behind the Beautiful Forevers is based on the book of the same title written by Katherine Boo. It was adapted into a play by David Hare. It focuses on the lives of two matriarchal families living in a slum- Annawadi, which is just next to the Mumbai airport. The slum is surrounded by luxury hotels on all sides, while it is full of trash that has kept on pilling and accumulating over the years. These families in the play largely represent the majority of the families in Mumbai. Families that have been let down by the systems that were put in place to be of assistance to them, the hatred of the poor towards one another and the resilience with which this families withstand all these and stick together throughout the difficulties (Hare 2). The Husain’s story shows how difficult it is to do good in an imperfect world where all systems are corrupt and the individuals are evil. One then wonders how the people at the bottom of the heap of trash can be honest in a world full o f bribes and corruption. The system should be where people run to when they have problems but that does not seem to be the case, the affluent are getting it all; the privileges given by the system because they are able to pay for the services offered, while the police don’t care about the poor people in the slums at all because most of them cannot afford to pay the bribe. Behind the Beautiful Forevers depicted Mumbai as a city of contrasts, where immense wealth and extreme poverty are rarely distant. It also shows how corruption in the public institutions and systems tends to undermine the community’s quality of life. The play reveals the obstacles to fairness and societal mobility in India. It also shows how young people in Annawadi remain hopeful through their personal philosophies especially in this time of global change. Abdul is the representation of a generation of young Indians struggling to elevate themselves out of poverty. The setting onstage truly depicted the lives of the characters, there was a motorcycle on stage and a tuk-tuk too which was a typical Indian medium of transport and it was even driven on stage. There was use of a strong noise of a plane landing, which brought out the closeness of the slum to the airport. The loud roar of the plane drowns the screams of Kalu as he’s being attacked and later murdered by two drug dealers, who thought that he had given the police information about them. This was a very dramatic scene with the noise at its loudest and the screams from Kalu together with the roaring of the plane set the tone of the play right from the start. As the play began, the shadow of a mighty passenger jet flew low over the Olivier stalls, the closeness of its very loud roar made the scalp tighten. Then, like a deluge of blessings, a cascade of used plastic bottles dropped from the skies. A pack of scavengers with their cardboard scoops went into a frenzied overdrive. This clearly depicts the huge gap between the affluent and the poor in Mumbai. The rich fly above the poor and leave them scrambling for their left over without a care of what is going on below them. David Hare while writing the play did not identify a single main character to pivot and plot the play around. This I believe was a calculated risk he decided to take as the play has various characters that we have to get a hold of and there are also many stories to tell, the play thus keeps rotating on each one of the character’s lives and the struggles they go through as individuals and also as a family unit, especially when the one legged Fatima due to her jealousy of the Husain’s relative prosperity, inflicts burn wound on herself and later accuses them of being responsible for her injuries. As with most stories that have a strong sense of place the play opened up to universal understanding. The play created tension between the perception of the situation and the energy of the place; this is because the sense of darkness was not because of the awful things that were happening to Husain’s family through the play or the poverty in Annawadi. The Husain family actually at this difficult time, depicted resilience in the face of the problems that later followed, after the one legged woman blamed their family for her injuries. Their integrity came under scrutiny the family fortune was wiped out by the grasping â€Å"justice† system as they struggle to clear their name and we see a corrupt system where one has to pay a lot of money to see their own charge sheet. We have a glimpse of the corrupt nature of the legal system and the essential injustices of a society in which the poor repeatedly blame equally poor individuals for their misfortunes. The Husain family however shows an extraordinary story of hope, despair and the unity in and strong ties in the family unit. The writer David Hare portrays the compromises the individuals in the play have to make in order to survive and have and get to the top of the heap with flashes of compassion and understanding, so that the audience actually relates to the cast. For instance: Asha having to sleep around in order for her daughter to get an education. The Husains having to pay the officer at the station just to see their charge sheet and due to the bribes they keep giving they lose all they worked so hard to build. They are back at the bottom where they started. The darkness is because of the one thing that both the poor have learned, though in different ways and contexts but nevertheless the same thing, that the road to happiness and success involves mistreating and trampling over other people. It is this dark thought that pollutes the mind and pollinates the minor and small sins done by individuals and leads them to escalate and the tragedy multiplies. The adults have been depicted as having learned the wrong lesson; this left the children as the sensible untainted individuals in Annawadi. The young people in the play representing the youth in India, were shown as being the future of the country. The future where there will be no corruption as they could not stand for it or condone it. As is today the young people do not believe in corruption, they stand against the vice and even hold demonstrations in the streets to protests against it. The young people can now hold the public institutions accountable for any misappropriation or abuse of office. Public offices still subtly favor a certain section of members in the society, because of their contribution to one or two of the organization’s projects, it however is not as rampant and if one is found out they could definitely be prosecuted. Thus the young people in the play represent the views of the young people in the world right now. This character in the young people was however often regarded to as an act of revolt throughout the play we saw, Abdul round up on an officer who was asking for money in order to abort his father’s trial, Manju who has hopes of being the first woman in Annawadi to gain a degree also rejects the means through which her mother employs to pay for her education. Meena, Sunil and Kehkashan are also not left behind as they are also shown as being perceptive with an unbending, understanding of something they couldn’t get themselves to voice. Abdul brings together an energy that was out of control in the slum area and gets rid of the darkness engulfing them. This might well have been the start of something or nothing really but at least it was the moment the play was more than a vicious cycle that one was unable to escape from. In as much as David Hare has done his best to get the most important themes from the book and release the play as the book is, there are a few things that we still miss from the book. For instance the play does not show Asha’s involvement in the local politics which was always the driving force behind her ambitiousness; to get to the money and power that runs the Annawadi. The play however managed to bring the described image of the Mumbai slum close to the audience and he did this in a major way through the set up on stage and by focusing on the continuous and endless toil of the characters and the recreation of grim physical context in detail. From the play we also gained the sense of getting to see a living community and the young people in resistance of the corruption that was being accepted by the adults. Behind the Beautiful Forevers was an exciting production as the adaptation managed to preserve the humanity and intimacy of the book. References Hare, D. (2014). Behind the Beautiful Forevers. Faber Faber, Limited.